Oh you know this what we need is another hibar vs lowbar thread lol. I wont read the article but here is my 2c..

Imho this sort of thing only applies to the tiny minority of ppl who can be good at either version but are trying to decide which one to focus on. If that's your problem, go ahead and research and see whatsup.

For everyone else, you'll have a natural squat form and you should just use that and get good at it and move on with life. Lucky ppl will find their natural form resembles the olympic squat, congrats. Unlucky people will find their form resembles the low bar, commiserations.

Powerlifters will be drawn to a more lowbar style cause they can use more weight but it's been suggested using highbar in training and switching to lowbar works well for them.

Olympic lifters should use highbar because it helps more with the competitive lifts.

A lot of this is self selecting, ppl will gravitate to OL or PL depending on their build and what suits them..

The main point I took away from it: Through analysis of angles and torques and stuff, we've determined that the low bar squat requires similar knee extension force but about 17% more hip extension force in order to lift the same amount of weight. However, we can lift more weight in a low bar squat. So what gives? Low bar squats are less difficult on your T-spine.

So in a way, if the back is less of a limiting factor, then more work is being done by the legs, which is what we, as aspiring athletes, care about.

Truth be told, when I try high bar squats PRs, the limiting factor IS staying upright with the bar. I can't even "imagine" going down with it due to this limitation. It's not really the leg strength that is stopping me.

So in a way, if the back is less of a limiting factor, then more work is being done by the legs, which is what we, as aspiring athletes, care about.

Truth be told, when I try high bar squats PRs, the limiting factor IS staying upright with the bar. I can't even "imagine" going down with it due to this limitation. It's not really the leg strength that is stopping me.

Your first sentence is a good point... damn... I love high bar squats though. Personally I've never found staying upright the limiting factor for myself. However, I do remember switching to low bar a few years ago yielded about a 30lb increase on my squat after getting used to it for 2 weeks.

If those same people who low bar with fairly vertical torso's did a high bar squat, you would see a difference I believe. It may not be as obvious as normal low bar squatter's but the few inches of difference in the bar position, regardless of torso angle still makes a notable difference in the emphasis of muscles, and more significantly, stress on the knee from my experience.

i sort of agree with merrick, except w/r/t the knee stress comment. i really think everyone is a special flower to some extent, and unless you're competing in PL or OL, you should pick the style that gives you the least amount of joint stress/discomfort, regardless of where the bar is placed. for a lot of people that will be HB full squat, but not all.